Chapter Fifty-Six

As everyone headed to the truck, which was waiting at the front of the hospital, ready to take everyone back home, Bobby pulled Dorothy aside when they reached the huge Christmas tree in the foyer.

‘I never got to kiss you under the mistletoe,’ he said.

Dorothy laughed. ‘Not many people know this, but mistletoe is poisonous.’

Now it was Bobby’s turn to chuckle. ‘Only if you eat it and I have no intention of doing that.’

They both automatically thought of Henrietta.

‘I’m so glad she’s all right,’ Dorothy said, suddenly feeling a little overwhelmed.

‘I am too,’ Bobby said.

Bobby gave Dorothy a slightly mischievous look and put his hand in the trouser pocket of his blue naval trousers.

Dorothy held her breath, unsure what Bobby was about to do.

She watched as he pulled out a little branch of mistletoe, which she could only presume he had pinched off the bundle hanging in the middle of the canteen.

She exhaled and smiled.

‘There’s only thing I want to do with mistletoe,’ Bobby said, pulling her close. ‘And that’s use it as an excuse to kiss you.’

He looked at the woman he was sure he was going to love for the rest of his life.

‘Well, you don’t need an excuse for that,’ Dorothy said, taking the mistletoe, turning slightly and laying it carefully on a branch of the Christmas tree.

‘You can kiss me wherever and whenever you want,’ she whispered into his good ear.

And so they kissed. And then kissed some more.

When they stopped, Bobby looked at Dorothy.

‘What you did was amazing. You know that, don’t you?’

Unusually, Dorothy was at a loss for words.

Bobby laughed. ‘For someone who craves attention, you can also be very uncomfortable with it.’

Dorothy smiled.

‘And to think it all came about because of Toby’s ring.’ Bobby eyed Dorothy, watching her reaction. ‘If it hadn’t been for his ring, this would never have happened.’

Dorothy nodded. ‘You’re right. I wouldn’t have been stressing over what to do with it and then Helen wouldn’t have come up with the idea.’

Bobby paused. There was something he wanted to ask her that had been on his mind.

‘So, you didn’t mind Quentin buying Toby’s engagement ring? I’d have thought you wouldn’t want reminding of him.’

Dorothy laughed. ‘I don’t want reminding of him, but I don’t mind being reminded of him either. It’s not as if Toby was awful in any way. He just wasn’t “The One”.’

Bobby took a deep breath.

‘I want to ask you a question,’ he said in earnest.

He could feel Dorothy stiffen a little in his embrace.

‘Much as I’d like to –’ Bobby was watching Dorothy’s expression intently ‘– I’m not going to ask you to marry me.’

He could see the relief on her face and feel her body relax in his arms.

‘And much as I’d love to ask you to live in sin with me, I won’t.’ He gave Dorothy a cheeky look. ‘Not yet anyway.’

Dorothy raised an eyebrow, signalling that perhaps she might be open to such a request.

‘But I do want to ask you one question. A question I think is equally important,’ he said.

Dorothy looked at Bobby. He had gone unusually serious.

‘You know I love you, don’t you?’ he asked.

Dorothy nodded. He had told her many times and each time she had known the words had been spoken from his heart.

‘And I believe you also love me?’

‘I do,’ Dorothy said. She, too, had told him that she loved him in a way that left no room for doubt.

‘I want to ask you …’

He hesitated. Then took a deep breath.

‘Do you believe that I am “The One” for you?’ he asked, looking into Dorothy’s blue eyes.

He saw the answer before she said the words.

‘I do,’ Dorothy said, her eyes glistening with love and passion.

‘I really do.’

The women welders waited in the truck and looked as Dorothy and Bobby made their way down the main steps and sauntered towards them with their arms wrapped around each other.

No one needed to say anything, but they smiled at each other. Dorothy had finally found the man who was right for her and organised a Christmas she’d always dreamed of.

Their friend had finally got her own happy ending.